An exclusive look inside a booming multibillion-dollar, evangelical, global Thai cult.
JANUARY 20, 2011
CAPTIONS BY RON GLUCKMAN, PHOTOS BY LUKE DUGGLEBY
Picture this: millions of followers gathering around a central shrine that looks like a giant UFO in elaborately choreographed Nuremberg-style rallies; missionary outposts in 31 countries from Germany to the Democratic Republic of the Congo; an evangelist vision that seeks to promote a "world morality restoration project"; and a V-Star program that encourages hundreds of thousands of children to improve "positive moral behavior." Although the Bangkok-based Dhammakaya movement dons saffron robes, not brown shirts, its flamboyant ceremonies have become increasingly bold displays of power for this cult-like Buddhist group that was founded in the 1970s, ironically, as a reform movement opposed to the excesses of organized religion in Thailand.
Yet, despite the pageantry, the inner workings of this fast-growing movement are little known to Thailand's general public, and certainly to the rest of the world, though its teachings loom large among the legions of devotees. The veil of secrecy parted briefly in late 1999, when two top Dhammakaya leaders were charged with embezzlement in what many considered a political ploy to suppress the temple's growing power. The charges were dismissed in 2006 after the former abbot and a colleague returned some land and nearly 1 billion baht ($32 million) to temple control.
This obscurity is because -- despite its 24-hour satellite TV station -- Dhammakaya has diligently worked to avoid the limelight. Until now. Over the past year, photographer Luke Duggleby and reporter Ron Gluckman have been granted unrivaled access to the facilities and ceremonies of Dhammakaya, and they provide an exclusive look at this mesmerizing movement.
32 comments:
I hope Thais learn some boudhism priciple about not to steal Cambodian lands..
Are siamese ready to lead the fight against yuoncons? Up now it is proven that yuoncons are much skilful to use religion to control and kill people in politic
this muscle demonstration from siamses wont scare the yuoncons at all.
This is not Buddhism, this is a charade of materialism.
Buddhism was not meant for showing off.
If you are showing off, it means about egoism which is the opposite of Buddhism.
Khmer can do nothings beside baking and backing.
Apart from Yeshua HaMasiach (Jesus Christ), all other religions are counterfit; man made, not of the Creator original intend.
God had divided the sons of Noah into 70 nations out from Shem, Ham, Japhet. In first 200 years after the world-wide flood, they still believed in Creator God. But after the death of Noah (who feared the true living God), basically all humanity had turn their backs on who the true living God was. So as humanity progressed onto the future they worship demons instead of their True Creator. God didn't make them to turn their backs on him, it was their choice. And of course it was the wrong choice.
God had a plan; the plan was he was going to call out a man from the midst of paganism unto himself, his name was Abraham. From the seed of Abraham God made a nation unto himself to represent who he is on this earth for the hope of humanity. The nation is call Israel, God's chosen people. Through Israel Creator God sent his Son Jesus into the world to redeem mankind back to himself of all that will believe on his Son Jesus Christ; to the Jews first, than to the Gentiles people.
Salvation cannot be obtained without the shedding of blood, not the blood of bulls and goats but the blood Yeshua (Jesus) when he died on the cross for the sins of the world. His blood was without defect, without sin, without blemish to able to wipe away sins on behalf of sinners insight of a holy God. This was God's requirement for man to reconcile himself to his Creator because of sin.
Believe on Jesus today and you can be saved.
KhmerIsrael
Do not be stupid, Yuons and Siams have no time to do war against Cambodians, they need to perform their economy and the war is just a distraction to win election only..
the god itself is manmade too.
khmer jewist
Whatever this brand of Buddhism will be, it shows the evolution and development of new Buddhism that rejected what is not pure teaching of Buddha. We can say that it is a reformation movement against the old Buddhism that always mixed with tradition, magic spell and supernatural worship. This movement similar to Protestant movement against Catholic Church in 1542 led by Dr. Luther, a founder of Lutheran Church in Germany.
8:39pm-
Are you not man made?
Do you come from the sky or you are just a brain washed kind of something ?
the god that you are talking about is just your false imagination, because you never see one. Book is written by man. man has idea.
if your god has power, why not he change everyone mind from evil to good from non- believer like me to believer like you.
Buddha did not give sin or merit, you get from what you did which is true in real life.
Sin or merit is the result of law of nature.
Again if your god is fair and powerful why didn't he punish the evil yuon who steal Khmer livelihood.
this is not budha monk.that is muslim monk.soon or letter they become torroris.
11:50 PM. NO GOD is not man made. GOD is a mighty force or mighty spirit neither can be created NOR can be destroyed.
8:39pm-
Are you not man made?
//We can only see what are allowed to see, and to us we are men made, but the beginner GOD made us.
Do you come from the sky or you are just a brain washed kind of something ?
//No humans cannot be from the sky but the soul and/or spirit or force does. Sensing the existence of GOD is not a brainwashed person, it is in Khmer says "Mean Nisay or Faith".
the god that you are talking about is just your false imagination, because you never see one. Book is written by man. man has idea.
//No you are so wrong about that. Because you have never faced the unseen side (soul or spirit..) you cannot dismiss billion people who encountered with. Father or Padre Pio was born to perform miracle of GOD is one example and you cannot deny his miracle service for 50 years. He died in 1968, and his grave received at least 7-10 million worldwide visit and respect mainly from develop nations every year. No BIBLE is not just a book it is a Holy document that written by many Prophets for about 6000 years from different generations.
if your god has power, why not he change everyone mind from evil to good from non- believer like me to believer like you.
//If GOD changes everyone to all good then how can we learn to know what is bad? GOD wants us to learn and understand bad and good and/or right or wrong. If everything is good then HELL is no longer existing. We are here to pay our debts or Karma. We are allowed to choose our own paths and the paths we choose we will be responsible for it according to the universe laws.
Buddha did not give sin or merit, you get from what you did which is true in real life.
//Buddha is not GOD but he built up his good deeds billion lives to a highest level and he freed from all sins to heaven. GOD did not give sins to us we do sins on our own that is why we have to reborn to pay our debts.
Sin or merit is the result of law of nature.
//But the law of nature is GOD's law.
Again if your god is fair and powerful why didn't he punish the evil yuon who steal Khmer livelihood.
//GOD is not just powerful but the ALMIGHTY who created the Universe, the universe that million great scientists cannot figure our where its frontier, though they keep searching for the origin. How do you know Khmers have never committed sins upon others? The Yuon whom you said they are evils, but these Yuon are more open mind and open hearts to GOD than your narrow mind Khmers stuck up back-warding people.
May be you ought to search for Genghis Khan's famous quotes once said before he died:
[["I am the punishment of God...If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you.
Genghis Khan quotes "]]
May be these Yuon evils are Khmers' sins that GOD sent to punish Khmers. So do not only see yourself so nice and sweet while your ancestors may had committed terrible sins upon others. Yuon too will be someday punished but right now is the punishment of Khmers. No ONE on this UNIVERSE Can FIGHT with GOD, look at Japan faced calamities.
The world over faces child labor crises ,here you see the wasting of capable adults.
This Temple looks like a UFO. Thais may have reasons to do this. Thai royal families and Thai people many believe in superstitious. Thailand is under US-UK protection but Thaksin prefers China instead. Vietnam keeps building her army and now she has the best and powerful army in South East Asia among the 10 ASEAN. Vietnam has to build army to survive from China attacks and from the natural disaster that the scientists warned Vietnam about the coast line will soon submerge into the water, thus Vietnam has to expand land to Thailand.
Not sure Vietnam will survive from China attacks, but as long as the US vs. China Vietnam can stay alive for now. I can see why Thaksin wants Thailand to be with China.
SIAM People even they are Buddhist but tremendously GREEDY.
To KHmer Israel, I personally want to meet your parents and family, I am for sure your parents and ancestors are Khmer but they are not Christians and I strongly and religously believe you that GOD or Jesus created the world and eveything on earth including SIAM , Khmer Rouges, SIHANOUK and the Communist countries.
Go to Hell Khmer Israel.
5:15 AM
You have too much hate and anger, too much desires to revenge and too much jealous and resentment against others who are not Buddhist. If you have too much evils inside your heart then why do you still hate Siam who are Buddhist like yourself?
By the way my reply to you was not Khmer Israel. It is great that Khmer Israel learned to see the reality of humans and why Khmer Buddhists are so sick and endlessly defeated by the same historical enemies like Yuon and Siam.
Why claimed yourself Buddhists or Buddha's follower when you are too EVIL?
5:15 AM
If you believe in the existence of HELL, why do you deny GOD?
Buddha certainly didn't create the universe including heaven and hell or spirit/soul etc.., but Buddha came to teach Dharma but NONE of your Buddhists ever follow his teaching.
Cursing and insulting and too vicious killing lives are Khmer Buddhists' ways of life. When the Khmer Buddhists curse and kill those means they are one step away to their own heaven but not GOD's heaven.
There were three great religion
founders:The Buddha,Jesus Christ,
and Mohammad.All of them are good.
Billion believers are believing in
them.But could these founders change
their believer minds?Not to commit
sins?These three religious groups
want peace,but not war.
They are gathering for peace,but
govt didn't or won't.
BUDDHA ALREADY PREDICTED THAT HIS RELIGION WILL BE VANISHED BY THE BUDDHISTS NOT BY OTHERS.
Understand, not all Israelis people are consider 'saved', they to must put their trust in Jesus Christ. But to the Jewish people God gave the Torah (law) on how to worship him. If Israel had obeyed the Torah (instruction) of their God (Yahweh)they would had been the most sought after nation for the wisdom and prosperity in their land, but they didn't. They loved to worship idols like the pagans do. But not all of them did, there were always a remnant who cleaved to their God and stayed faithful to him.
Can anyone see the wind? I can see God in his creation but I can't see God in the physical realm. I believe in his word and his works that he's done in the earth.
Use logic, this KI-Media platform didn't just appear out of nowhere. I believe there is a mind and ability of some intelligent being behind this blog. This world didn't come to existence out of chaos, there's intelligent design behind it all. If chaos brings order, than lets create more chaos in the world so perfect order can emerge from all the destructions that's been fallen upon the world.
Khmer people die, Thai people die, Vietnamese people die... So what advantage is there of being one of those people group? None. Being saved by the salvation that the Creator had sent is far more advantageous than being a continued pagan.
All people must repent from their idolatry and turn to God (Yahweh). It's the consciousness of sins that caused people to seek spirituality. But because Satan is the counterfitter he will divert truth seekers from finding the true path to life which can only be found in Jesus Christ. Buddhism is demonic in nature, it's not reality as Buddha made it to be. All Buddhists will die in their sins.
KhmerIsrael
7:40 AM
If you are interested to learn about other religions before you write share with others is excellent. But to say that Muhammad is a peace's lover you are too ignorant about Islam. Muhammed was a falling angel, a Satan, a child molester. He is nothing to be near to GOD or Christ.
He slept with a 6-9 years old child and he took his step son' wife to be his, etc., and you said he is a peace's lover?
Islam is also of the devil, they hate Jews & Christians. The great war that will take place in Mid-east will be between the God of Israel and Allah, the god of Muhammad. Since the bible already recorded history before it happen, Israel will defeat all the Muslim nations.
KhmerIsrael
5:07 PM
ចោរ ហើយនិងឃាតករ ពួកវាមិនដែលមាន
មនោសញ្ចេតនាទេ!!!
It was by luck that Thailand avoided the colonization.
Now they think of themselves as one of the superpowers.
Soon they will eat their own ego.
11:47 AM
Not about luck anything, I called Fate. In the history said that France already took Hue, Laos, Cambodia and Siam (part of it), but French flew to europe to discuss with English. They may had made a deal, so after French defeated Siam and forced Siem to give back provinces and Preah Vihear, King Mongkut asked his protegee English for help. Do you know what the English told the King? Give to the French whatever they wants. The White men divided the world for themselves while the Asians are so busy cutting each other throats.
1:26 PM
Thailand was lucky because Britain and France wanted to use it as a buffered zone to stop their conflicts.
They could have divided Thailand into 2 halves and each colonized each half.
Then perhaps the eastern half would be part of Cambodia and western half would be part of Burma.
9:40 PM
No I disagree with you. English wanted Thailand for Malaysian-Thai treaty and so did the US who wanted Thailand. Thailand may be freed from France but they lose 2 provinces and Preah Vihear. To your eyes Thailand was lucky, but to others Thailand was under claws of other powerful nations invisibly.
If you said Thailand was lucky then why King Monkuth wept and King Mahidol was scared sad most the time? The execution style on his forehead in his very own bedroom was to warn Thailand "Do or Don't" The whole world turned their eyes to his young brother who witnessed the shot. His mother screamed cried but then she stayed mum for terrifying that her youngest son could be next. Though we still don't know who shot the young King, but to be sure that he was supposed to travel to the US on the next day for whatever reasons we don't know. The King liked Communist ideology than capitalist. Before he came back to Thailand, he was also warned by other western experts not to return to Thailand but he did it then he was executed. Tell me how lucky Thailand was if behind the scene some powerful ones control? This new King may have all luxury but he is under somebody. Thailand can be screwed up any time just like Cambodia.
10:17 PM
India before independence was the combined countries of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. France colonized a small part of it and the rest belonged to Britain.
Do you mean to tell me that if France and Britain wanted to share colonize Thailand they could not do it? Luck was a part of Thailand being spared from the colonization. That is my belief; you can reason and believe whatever you want.
KHMER ISRAEL,
You are NOTHING but BIAS and PREJUDICE, I am in shock to se your poor parents who lost their KHMER son to KHMER ISRAEL .
See your God who created and punished your own parents like POL POT ,.
6:39 AM
We didn't see Khmer Israel is biased or prejudice anything. You are the one who is prejudice and full of hate.
If all Khmers be like Israel, there won't be Yuon. Brush your old rusty belief and change according to the event otherwise Khmers will be extincted. Buddhism destroyed Cambodia because Buddhism cannot be adopted in a small weak nation like Cambodia or Laos next to Yuon and Thai. You are so backward no wonder why?
Pol Pot was created by Yuon, and without there were no Pol Pot.
By the way, there is only ONE GOD so don't say your GOD or my GOD.
KHMER ISRAEL,
Take your GOD to condenm PALESTINIANS ,
Your GOD is spelled backward DOG !
Your CAMBODIAN parents are condenmed by your GOD because of your GOD = DOG and GOD DANMED YOU ASS HOLE KHMER ISRAEL
signed by ONLY GOD
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